The present invention relates in general to vehicle rearview mirrors, and more particularly to a vehicle rearview mirror which is adjustable in two planes and a mirror housing accommodating the mirror plane, together with a universal mounting for adjustment of the mirror, and a housing therefor which accommodates adjustment drive mechanisms.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle rearview mirror which is adjustable in two planes and has a mirror housing accommodating the mirror glass, a universal mounting bringing about the adjustment of the mirror, and a housing for the mounting which accommodates adjustment drive mechanism to which two universal joint shafts are connected, the shafts being driven directly by the adjustment drive mechanism and being movable independently of each other.
A vehicle rearview mirror of this type is known from German patent specification No. 34 07 523 which describes a mirror having a fixed mirror housing, such as are used primarily, as external mirror for motor vehicles. These known mirrors are adjusted by swivelling the mirror glass relatively to the mirror housing and in order to be able to carry out the swivelling movement, one shaft of a universal mounting is connected to the mirror glass, or its support, and the other shaft of the universal mounting is connected to the mirror housing.
Rearview mirrors for vehicles are also known, however, which are adjusted by swivelling the mirror housing; mirrors of this type are used primarily, as internal mirrors for motor vehicles. It is not possible however, to use the design known from German specification No. 34 07 523, for these known mirrors, which are connected by means of a rigid holding arm to the framework of the vehicle, because shadows would form in the inwardly inclining edge region of the mirror glass, which would result in a reduction in the viewing field. In addition, the space required would be considerably increased and the adjusting system introduced of swivelling the whole mirror as a unit would have to be abandoned.
The problem underlying the present invention is to adapt an adjustment drive mechanism having a universal mounting for use even in those rearview mirrors for vehicles in which in the course of their adjustment the entire mirror housing is swivelled.
The problem is solved according to this invention by attaching one shaft of the universal mounting to the mirror housing which, when this shaft is driven, is swivelled relative to the housing of the drive mechanism, and by connecting the other shaft of the universal mounting rigidly to the framework of the vehicle so that when this shaft is driven the housing for the drive mechanism together with the mirror housing is swivelled about this fixed shaft.
As a result of this design described immediately above, the above mentioned disadvantages of the known rearview mirrors for vehicles are avoided. As a consequence of the adjustment of the entire mirror as a unit, there is no relative movement between the mirror glass and the mirror housing so that there is no inward inclination of the mirror glass into the mirror housing with the associated disadvantages. Above all it is advantageous that when used as an internal mirror, the rearview mirror for vehicles according to the invention can, should its electrical drive fail, be adjusted by the driver by hand in the same manner as customary hand adjusted internal mirrors.